The book phenomenon of ‘Club Government’ in the mid-nineteenth century, when many of the functions of government were alleged to have taken place behind closed doors, in the secretive clubs of London’s St. James’s district, has not been adequately historicized. Despite ‘Club Government’ being referenced in most major political histories of the period, it is a topic which has never before enjoyed a full-length study.
Making use of previously-sealed club archives, and adopting a broad range of analytical techniques, this work of political history, social history, sociology and quantitative approaches to history seeks to deepen our understanding of the distinctive and novel ways in which British political culture evolved in this period. The book concludes that historians have hugely underestimated the extent of club influence on ‘high politics’ in Westminster, and though the reputation of clubs for intervening in elections was exaggerated, the culture and secrecy involved in gentleman’s clubs had a huge impact on Britain and the British Empire.
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About the Author
Seth Alexander Thévoz is an Associate Member of Nuffield College, Oxford, where he is a research assistant on the forthcoming official biography of Sir David Butler. He holds degrees from the universities of Cambridge, London and Warwick, and he completed his PhD in conjunction with the History of Parliament Trust. A former parliamentary researcher, his areas of expertise include the history of British politicians’ outside financial interests, and the history of party political funding. He is Honorary Librarian of London’s National Liberal Club. This is his first book.
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Cover 1
Author Biography 2
Title Page 4
Copyright 5
Dedication 6
Contents 8
List of Illustrations 10
Acknowledgements 14
Introduction 20
1. The Development of Political Clubs 40
Introduction 40
The Traditional Clubs 42
The Carlton and Reform Clubs 50
Political Clubs after the Carlton and Reform 59
Politics in ‘Apolitical’ Clubs, 1832–68 64
Conclusion 67
2. Clubs and the MPs’ World I: A Quantitative Analysis 69
Aims and Approach 69
MPs and their Clubs 73
Explaining MPs’ Links to Clubs 89
Membership of Multiple Clubs by MPs 96
Trends in MPs’ Elections to Clubs, Blackballing and Fast-Tracking 101
MPs who were not Club Members 112
Conclusion 116
3. Clubs and the MPs’ World II: Experiences in Clubland Space 119
Introduction 119
Space: Its Politics and Dynamics 121
Meetings: Use of Club Space and Purpose 134
Clubs, Public Meetings and Protests 142
Masculinity and Sociability: Clubs’ Single-Sex Spaces and their Rival Social Spaces 143
Gossip 150
Conclusion 158
4. Clubs as an MP’s Base: Accommodation, Dining, Information and Organisational Support 160
Introduction 160
Accommodation 161
Dining 162
Information 166
Organisational Support 169
Conclusion 173
5. Clubs and Whips in the House of Commons 175
Introduction 175
Whips in Clubs 177
Subscriptions to the Whip 183
Whips, Clubs and Party Identity 188
Conclusion 192
6. Clubs and Electoral Interventions 194
Introduction 194
Individuals: Agents and Central Organisation 196
A Central Election Fund 205
Petitioning 213
Textual Influence 214
Funds, Candidates and Registration 217
Clubland in the Constituencies: Disraeli and the Gladstones 219
Conclusion 225
Conclusion 228
Appendix. Appendix to Chapter 2: List of sources used in the database of club memberships for MPs who sat in the House of Commons in 1832–68 238
Notes 242
Bibliography 301
Index 320

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Thévoz, Seth Alexander.

Thevoz, Seth Alexander

Seth Alexander Thévoz

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd.

Taylor & Francis Ltd

International library of colonial history, London, 2018

International Library of Colonial History, 25

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

1, 2018

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Memory of the World Librarian: Calamitous Annunciation

2025-10-27